Book of Fire Ch. 01

I lay there a moment, getting used to the sensations of being two people at once.

So much information all in one moment was overwhelming, but I was able to rein it in, restrain it. Hopefully I could dig around for new bits of knowledge as they became necessary, for now attempting to process it all at once was more than I could handle.

"My prince? Little brother?" said a sweet voice, tinged with concerned.

Oh, yes. The reason why I had something to "awaken" to.

I cracked my eyes open against the glare of the day, and peered upwards at what seemed to be a goddess.

Framed against the afternoon sun, her deep red hair seemed to glow, even though it was merely pulled back into a short ponytail. She looked down at me with bright blue eyes set in a delicate-featured face with a cute, upturned nose, and a fair but not quite pale complexion. Her expression was creased with worry, and her lips parted as if in mid-word. Her figure was thoroughly hidden by the armour she wore, but my memory immediately provided for what her protection hid- small handfuls of breast, a lithe and athletic frame with just the barest hint of muscle. All in all, a high-tier beauty.

I was at a loss for words. I haven't been here for a minute yet and already my "heaven" was exceeding my wildest imagination.

"Prince?" she asked again, still looking worried, "Are you still sleepy?"

I attempted to shake the cobwebs from my brain with an effort. I could recall that we were waiting for a ferry, and I had reclined on a grassy hillside and ended up taking an impromptu afternoon nap. I opened my mouth, straining to think of something to say to this red-headed hottie that would kick off our whirlwind romance.

"Nglphm."

So much for a good first impression, even if it wasn't really a first impression from her perspective. I turned my head to one side, and hawked up the phlegm that had been clogging my throat. Then, I could finally speak.

"Excuse me," I said to her, my voice still thick of having slept so soundly, "Sorry, Katriana. I know you don't like it when I do vulgar things like that."

Katriana, that is, my older "sister" gave me a warm smile. I could remember that she wasn't my sister in truth, rather a relative from a slightly more distant part of the family. But we had been raised together, and she had been trained from birth to be my bodyguard and protector. Her calling me "little brother" was mostly an affectation.

"Don't worry, my prince," she replied with a playful smirk dancing across her face, "I think I can overlook a little spit after my little brother was so cutely drooling in his sleep."

I could feel the heat in my cheeks as I flushed. I was a "little brother" for less than two minutes and already I was getting teased. I can't say that I minded it, though. I never had siblings of my own, in my previous life.

Katriana extended her arm, offering me a hand up. I accepted her offer, taking a moment to marvel at the softness of her hand before she levered me up off the ground. Dusting off my robes, I could see we were standing not far from a calm river bend. The river was broad and deep, and on the opposite bank, at the outside of the bend, was a large city, nestled between the river and the mountains.

I let the tiniest trickle of knowledge into my head, trying to filter for what I already "knew" about where we were. The city of Tresens had survived for hundreds of years, well-fortified and in a very defensible position. The only way into the city was through a series of mountain passes overland, or by crossing the Islingquet River as we were. Tresens itself was ruled by a lord knight by the name of Gilfar, who was a proud devotee of the All-Father. This week, there was a tournament and games to be held in the All-Father's honour, and as a means for Gilfar to recruit for the Tresens military. Nobles and knights from many leagues around were supposed to be there, recruiting talented individuals as guards, warriors, agents or advisors. Mine and Katriana's intention was not to compete, but to get hired, both to augment our dwindling gold supply and to establish new allies for the day when we attempt to take back my throne.

From what I remembered offhand, it seems this world is full of many city-states like Tresens, but few countries. The presence of monsters makes it difficult for kings, queens and others to control large swathes of land. The presence of small bands of independent mercenaries (what my gamer mind immediately identified as "adventurers") is a necessity brought on by trade- while large-scale transport of goods is impossible, merchants ranging from small-scale peddlers to caravans do exist, and make use of these mercenaries as guards. Adventurers also serve as messengers, bounty hunters, and all the usual stuff that I remembered from campaigns past.

A fat, flat-bottomed ferry was making it's way over to our side of the shore, where, at a small dock, a handful of peddlers waited with their carts, with sundry guards and even a knight with a small retinue. Everyone was getting ready for the river crossing but me, it seemed.

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my nose, and startled. But it was only Katriana, smiling kindly after giving me a poke. "It looked like I was losing you again," she teased, "It wouldn't do to have you fall asleep on your feet. IF it happens on the ferry, you might go over the side, then where would we be?"

"Ah, I'm sorry, I'm just tired from our travels," I explained, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, "Please, don't worry so much." Everything this girl did had a way of making my heart beat faster. I had to be on my guard, or else she would be able to wrap me around her fingers instead of the other way around.

"I worry for you, Theodore," she went on, her grin fading, "I know you're not in the best of health, so please, just put up with your big sister's doting. I couldn't bear for anything to happen to you, not when I'm on-duty."

My instinct was to hold this woman, reassure her that everything was fine, that I was perfectly healthy and happier than I've been in years, that she could dote all she wanted as long as it granted me even a second more of her attention... but I didn't want to overdo it, or become some kind of simp in my own fantasy. Instead, I frantically searched my brain for something not weird and maybe kind of sweet to say.

"It's not really bothersome when you worry about me," I said, rubbing my neck with embarrassment, "I know you only worry because you care." That must have had the desired effect, because it made Katriana smile a little more brightly. Score one for me!

She reached for me, and once again I was delighted to take her hand, and soon she was pulling me down the small slope to meet with the ferry, just as it was pulling up to the dock. Crossing for lightly-laden passengers was only a few copper coins each, but the horses in the knight's retinue were a silver per, and I saw gold change hands for the peddlers. But we didn't have horses, much less a cart, but with out small amount of coin even a few coppers were badly missed.

Soon enough, we were off. Katriana and I stayed seated on the bench towards the centre of the ferry. It was a little crowded, but I had the opportunity to take out my spellbook and actually give some thought as to what casting spells was like in this setting. I opened up the book, and on the first page, right where I expected to see "Armor" or something, was instead a spell entitled "The Formula of Zher-Ah". I blinking in confusion for a moment, before it hit me. Custom spell names. Something so universally held as obnoxious nobody ever does it in an actual game, Corgiel had implemented for me. Great.

I continued flipping. "Incantation of Adamantine". "Invocation of the Heatless Forge". "The Sigil of the Burning Hands", well, at least that one was straightforward and related to what I knew the spell as. Apparently, whatever version of myself existed before I assumed control had the forethought to write down a basic description of the spell before going into the hand sigils, arcane words and whatnot. "Formula of Zher-Ah" apparently meant "Reduce". I guess "Zher-Ah" had something against things being too big if he applies his name proudly to such a basic spell.

The hand gestures and arcane words were very complex and extremely precise. On this syllable, make this gesture, and then make sure to stress this vowel... jeez, I thought, no wonder I could only cast two of these things per day. The amount of practice that would be needed to consistently get things just right would be enormous.

The ferry was achingly slow in crossing the river, the guys working the oars- it felt weird to refer to them as "sailors" for paddling a ferry across a really wide river but I guess that's what they are- not in the slightest hurry whatsoever. About half an hour into the trip, I think I had managed to commit to memory the "Incantation of Adamantine", also known as the "Armor" spell, and "The Hex of Lotus and Willow", also known as the "Sleep" spell. I took the time to make sure the proper components were at the top of two of my pouches, and after all that we were only two-thirds of the way across the water.

Katriana had gotten up at some point to lean over the gate at the stern and watch the water go by, so I carefully stowed my spell book in my pack once more, and went to join her. We didn't say anything at first, just watching the glassy surface of the water ripple with the ferry's wake, so I had time to look down at the river and examine my reflection for the first time. What I saw there made me frown, and I mentally set a reminder to give that puppy-angel a piece of mey mind if I ever saw her again.

The traits that I had asked for in Katriana had been mutated into something unpleasant. Whereas Katriana was a beautiful red-haired valkryie, I was a short, pudgy ginger. I also noticed for the first time that my "big sister" wasn't just older, but also topped me by an inch or two. So much for having Charisma 14. Maybe Corgiel thought I was just really likeable or something.

Well, at least she upgraded me in one way. For some reason, in my backstory I was elevated from a fallen noble to a prince-in-exile, and my cousin to a guardian knight-princess kind of deal. I tried to think of why Corgiel would do such a thing- was it a sign that she didn't actually intend to let me benefit from either level of status at all? I could see a vindictive GM giving me exactly what I wanted to the letter but deny me the effect that I was going for. As it stood, there was no point in worrying about it right now. I might be "stuck" here until I died again, for all I knew. I had to at least try to accept things and move on.

Having nothing but idle time for now, I thought about what kind of a party I'd like to have. A cleric of some kind, preferably a cute girl who doesn't take a vow of chastity, would be a necessity before I got to the next level and earned more than a single point of HP. An elf, also preferably a cute girl, would be useful for having the elven ability to sense secret doors. I could see a ranger being useful for the mid-range support, or a paladin for the front line healing and general bullshit immunity. Maybe a bard...?

"I think this is going to be the start of something good," said a sweet voice at my elbow.

Katriana's words made me look up. We were finally pulling into the city docks, and riverboats of various sizes surrounded us. Several of the oarsmen were on their feet, using paddles to gently push the ferry away from any docked boats that we drifted too close to. Kariana, though, was looking at the buildings rising up the mountainside ahead with hope in her voice.

Soon enough, the ferry docked with a hollow clunk, one of the "sailors" opened the bow gate, and passengers were let off while the peddlers go their wagons ready. The docks beyond were crowded and busy, as travellers departed on riverboats, new arrivals asked for directions, merchants hawked their wares, longshoremen hustled about their work, and assorted others meandered about.

"Aaaah!" Katriana sighed aloud while stretching her back, or at least as much as she could in her mail, once we had our feet back on dry land. "Wooden benches don't work for me. I'd almost rather have had to swim."

"That would have been a feet in scale armour," I murmured as I glanced around the busy docks, only pausing to grab one of my belt pouches and glare at a street urchin who I caught fumbling furtively at the drawstring. As the kid ran off, thumbing his nose and sticking out a tongue in response to my glare, I sighed. "Maybe we should get out of the crowds before we decide what to do next? It's a little packed down here."

Katriana nodded, reached back for my hand again, and lead the way onto one of the thoroughfares coming off the dock, and deeper into Tresens. Idly, I wondered if all the hand holding was an effect of this being my "heaven", but if it was I certainly didn't mind. I wasn't quite so sheltered that I never pulled that off in my previous life, but definitely not so often with someone so eager to do it. I could only I wasn't blushing every time or something else so embarrassing.

The city seemed to be shaped like a half-wheel, with the river as the hub, and large, wide streets radiating away like spokes. The cliffs of the mountains above hugged the sides of the city, including what seemed to be a large fortress built into one of the cliffs. Far above, on a series of escalating terraces built into the reaches of the slope, crops were being grown.

Opposite the fortress, there was a large, circular structure. At a guess I labelled it as the arena or hippodrome or whatever it is that the tournament itself would be held in. It had that kind of look. The streets were packed with merchants, visitors and citizens alike, making travel through the city to be something of a slog. We constantly had to wait for carriages to pass, or knights on horseback. Pedestrians absolutely did not have right of way, and more than once I saw a horsewhip being used to move along an unlucky peasant afoot. I grimaced, wondering whether getting whip caused actual HP damage or if I had some leeway there. I decided not to test it.

After my close call at the dock, I kept a careful eye on my belt pouches. I never realized just how easy a target you become if you keep your inventory this way. I had been reincarnated for one day and I already missed pockets. The next time we had to wait for a wagon to pass by, I leaned in close to Katriana. "We'll need an inn to operate from, so we can leave our things in relative safety," I told her. We couldn't wander around, constantly under threat of being robbed.

To my relief, she nodded in agreement. "You could do with a bath before we go meeting prospective employers, as well," she said with a smile, "Though I'm not exactly feeling fresh, either. We should have enough money for that much."

The streets were too busy to argue about my hygiene. Having no local guide or even much idea of how the city was laid out, we were forced to wander freely, asking the occasional peddler or guard for recommendations until we finally discovered an inn. I had never realized it before, but most natives of the town didn't really know much about inns or the availability thereof, which made sense. If you already had a home, why worry about an inn?

The inn that we found was on a side street, near what appeared to be an open market. The sign had no lettering, just the painted image of a farmer napping while leaning on a large horned animal, and below that the universal images of a keg, a bed, and a crossed knife and fork. It seemed a warm and welcoming place, and even now, getting into late afternoon, the sounds of friendly talk, laughter and music drifted out of the doorway.

As we entered, a boisterous and fat man in clean white clothes and a fresh apron greeted us. His face was dominated by a thick handlebar moustache, and he seemed to genuinely enjoy his work, or at least was pretending very well. "Welcome to the Lazy Ox Inn!" he said with a smile, "Two of you, eh? Well, I hope you don't have horses, because there's no room in the stables. But I'm sure we can cram you in somewhere. Will that be one room or two?"

"One room with two beds, if possible, please," Katriana replied, returning the man's smile. "We'd also like a bath before dinner if we could."

"Well, then!" the innkeeper exclaimed as he fished behind his counter for some kind of ledger, "It'll be seven silvers for the night, and baths are five copper for hot water, though if you want to pinch your pennies and don't mind a cold bath, we'll not charge." The innkeeper nodded as if agreeing with himself. "Evening meal is extra but porridge and bread in the morning comes with. Do you find that agreeable, miss?"

I felt my sadly flat and limp coin purse. It was already flaccid well before I had to fend off pickpockets, and after I did some mental math, I could only sigh. Such extravagance as dinner and a hot bath would leave me with less than a single gold piece remaining. By the time I came back to the conversation, though, Katriana was already counting coins out to the innkeeper. I hope she had saved more than I did from "character creation". That scale mail wasn't cheap, and she had a longsword, warhammer and shortbow strapped to her pack besides. That was a lot of steel and horn.

Satisfied by the fistful of coins, the innkeeper summoned a pair of serving girls in white and red livery, which I suppose was the official uniform for the inn. One was instructed to lead us upstairs to our room, while the other was to heat up the "boiler out back" and get the bath ready for guests who were bathing early. As we heading up the stairs to the third level, I had opportunity to appreciate the cute, curvy serving girl in her frilly apron and knee-length skirt. She had semi-sheer white stockings that made it easy to appreciate her legs.

But that presented me with a question. Had I actually dug myself into a hole with Katriana? A close, big sister character was fine for giving me access to an attractive meat shield and consistent, but if I did wind up fucking her, what opportunities would I then be squandering with other characters? Katriana, after all, would be a more or less permanent party member, but I never specified that I needed her to be okay with polyamory.

And following that, there was the question of my unappealing look. Perhaps a somewhat unsightly but magically impressive and accomplished wizard might end up a womanizer, but surely any harem situation would be off the table? The harem was something I had specifically requested, so maybe I was attractive in a different context? Maybe all the women of this world had a thing for short kings.

Sadly, Katriana wanting to share a room was also an ambiguous sign. Did she want me to be in such an intimate space with her, or did she see me as such a sexual non-entity that it didn't matter?

For this place being my "heaven", it sure seemed complicated.

Our room was small, with two beds and just enough room between them to sit across from one another without our knees touching. A medium-sized chest with a flat top also served as a nightstand, with the only other place to put a candle being the floor. I hoped that wouldn't prove to be a fire hazard if we had to rummage around at night. A single high-set window with shutters but no curtain let light into the room. As it turned out, the door could be barred to prevent entry at night, but the chest did not come with it's own lock- that we had to provide for ourselves.

Of course, I never realized it would be a problem, so I didn't buy one. Neither had Katriana, it seemed. Still, I had some idea at how to protect ourselves from theft. Once the majority of our belongings was packed away, except for Katriana's armour and arsenal, which would not have fit, I crumbled the tip of the slightly used candle's wick between my fingers and rubbed a reasonable facsimile of a mystical sigil onto the chest.